Exercise and your environment

We all know that getting outside, in fresh air, can reboot the system.

It's not surprising, then, that researchers found hiking outdoors, instead of trekking for 30-minutes on a treadmill designed to simulate that hike, offered greater feelings of pleasure and calmness. Better yet? Hiking was also associated lower levels of anxiety and fatigue.

The study, published in PLOS ONE, indicates the environment you exercise in is an important factor in psychological health. Next time you organize a sweat session, think about how you can serve your body's needs not just in exercise method, but exercise environment.